Could RIM's Roadmap Lead the Way?

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Research In Motion (RIMM) may well be in a death spiral, but it's not going down without a fight, at least according to a report in the blogosphere.

A BlackBerry-focused blog, BlackBerryOS.com says that it has got hold of RIM's 2013 product road map, with the Waterloo, Ontario-based company looking to launch several new products in 2013.

RIM's rocky road looks like it's come to an end

BlackBerryOS.com reports that a 4G version of RIM's tablet, the PlayBook, is due in the fourth quarter of 2012. Starting in 2013, the first BlackBerry 10 phone will be released, codenamed "London," according to the Web site, followed by a slew of other devices. In the second or third quarter of next year, a BlackBerry phone codenamed "Nashville," will debut. Another PlayBook tablet will appear in the third-quarter, and then a BlackBerry device codenamed "Naples" in the third or fourth quarter of next year.

When RIM recently announced that its BlackBerry 10 was being delayed until 2013, it was seen as perhaps the end of the road for the company, as Apple's (AAPL) iOS and Google's (GOOG) Android continue to dominate the mobile landscape.

Investor and analyst sentiment around RIM is extremely low, and there's plenty of skepticism about RIM's product roadmap for next year. "We believe further delays are possible given RIM's history (the first QNX phones were initially expected in 2H11). The company expects to report another operating loss in F2Q. We expect operating losses to extend well into FY14," wrote Barclays Capital analyst Jeff Kvaal following RIM's earnings report. He rates shares "neutral," but lowered his price target to $6 from $8.

CEO Thorsten Heins is confident that the BlackBerry 10 platform will be successful. "When we designed BlackBerry 10, we didn't just design a product, we designed a platform - very high-end specs," he noted on the company's recent earnings call. "I am very confident that this product will deliver on its performance."

While some believe that this is too little, too late, RIM's not going to go down without a fight. Whether this resonates with consumers, though, is a different story.

RIM has not yet responded to TheStreet's request for comment on this article.

Shares of RIM are lower in Tuesday trading, off 1.6% to $7.37.

Interested in more on Research In Motion? See TheStreet Ratings' report card for this stock.

1 2 Next › Last »